Otherworld 0 The sundering
by Otherworld's Resurrection
Summary: Prologue to the otherworld books. See how princess Aara and her sisters came to be and how the first split the worlds and created a peaceful existence between humankind and demons MASSIVE CROSSOVER! ANIMES INCLUDE: INUYASHA, YU YU HAKUSHO, RUROUNI KENSHIN, AND MANY, MANY MORE. Anime characters start to come in during Book 1. this is book 0 that introduces the concept of the story.
1. Chapter 1

He was as old as time itself. Some days he felt every moment of his long life, today was such a day. Iomeloth stood at the very top of his tower and peered out into the lands surrounding it. Lush vegetation, beautiful waterfalls and glittering streams made his tower a paradise. Though, what good is paradise in the middle of hell? Only his power, in the form of invisible barrier kept the terror and desolation that was the real world from encroaching. Iomeloth sighed heavily and raised his staff. A silver and blue dragon flew to the parapet and landed gracefully, folding silver wings behind him.

"You have need of me, my Lord?" came the dulcet voice of the Dragon, speaking only in the mage's mind.

"Yes, Bryeth, take me aloft. I want to see the lands."

"My Lord, nothing has changed since the last time you flew over them." Bryeth assured his master.

"I know." Iomeloth said wearily. "I know."

Bryeth nodded and knelt down so that the mage could mount him. Once his precious passenger was safely behind his horned crest, the Dragon spread his wings and took to the sky. They didn't have to fly far for the beauty of the mage's lands to end. Only a few miles in either direction from the tower, the barrier ended abruptly and the naked truth of reality was glaring at them. The stench was the first thing to assault his senses. Sulfur and brimstone coming from volcanoes and burning forests. Just beneath that smell, was the blood. The copper coin in your mouth stink of blood. Iomeloth's stomach heaved in protest, but he kept it in check. He found that it would be very rude to empty the contents of his stomach on the dragon's back.

Even flying so high up, the mage could still make out the tortured cries of the humans below. Those fragile creatures who were mere fodder for the stronger, crueler demons they were unfortunate enough to share the land with. Iomeloth shook his head "Poor creatures..." he thought. Bryeth rumbled in agreement. They looked very much like he did but they were not the same. He was neither human nor demon, but a species entirely different. The power of the universe itself could flow from his fingertips, but even he did not have enough power to save every living human. The only reason that they had not been eradicated already is that the demons kept the youngest females as breeders. The males were forced to impregnate the females, after which the males were used as food. Soon the females would produce a new generation of females breeders and male fodder. The humans knew nothing but despair, they had never even heard of hope.

For eons Iomeloth and his fellow mages had accepted this as the natural order of things, until one day the mage and the Dragon were standing on the parapet and Bryeth suddenly jumped off, unfolding his wings and sailing to the edge of the barrier. He returned with a squirming young boy of about eight in his jaws. He released the boy with a small thud, who then jumped to his feet and rushed to the edge of the parapet, as far away as he could from both the dragon and the mage. He faced them bravely, although Iomeloth could see that his tiny fists were trembling with fear.

"What have we here?" Iomeloth approached the boy. He was filthy and dressed in rags, but the heart of a lion shone out of those dark eyes.

"I saw him burrowing under the barrier. There is a hollow under a tree root that needs to be fixed." came Brye's voice in their minds.

The boy looked up at the Dragon in surprise. "He can talk?"

"Yes, Bryeth is very intelligent. He talks inside your mind."

"He's not going to eat me?"

Iomeloth chuckled "No! Not at all. Come, boy, let's get you cleaned up."

The boy looked at the mage and then asked plainly, "Do you have any food?"

Bryeth snorted in surprise at the boy's forwardness, causing dark smoke to stream out of his nostrils. The boy moved quickly away.

"Watch your manners! We have a guest!" Iomeloth admonished.

"Guest!? That ragamuffin?"

"Yes, the boy is our guest and you will treat him as such."

Bryeth rumbled his discontent but gave an almost imperceptible nod of his huge blue head.

"Now, let's find you a bath…." Iomeloth ushered the boy down the stairs.

"And some food?" the urchin asked again.

"Yes, yes! Plenty of food also!" What courage that boy had!

In the days that followed, Iomeloth found himself intrigued by the boy and soon the boy had a home. Iomeloth was alone most of the time, except for Bryeth, and the boy was great company. He had a voracious appetite for knowledge and soon learned to read and write. And then, to the amazement of the old mage, he learned to do simple spells. Through this one brave boy, Iomeloth realized that he had misjudged the human race. They were intelligent, not low animals to be used for food, and after that, he became acutely aware of the suffering of the humans and a desire to help them began to burn inside of him. A tiny flame soon became a raging fire. He would find a way to save them!

Two hundred years passed and Iomeloth still had not found the answer. The boy grew up, matured, and grew old. When he died of old age, the boy left an irreparable hole in the old mage's heart. And he sadly realized that he had never even given the boy a name. He was just "boy" all his life. "I have done you an injustice. I will name you so that it can be carved on your tombstone and through the ages you will be remembered." The old man promised. And he kept his word. A black obelisk was erected at the foot of his tower and carved into it was: "Barathe, the First Human Mage."

A hundred more years passed and finally Iomeloth thought of a way to help the humans. Helping a few of them was easy, but he wanted to help them all. Every one of them! But he would need the help of his fellow mages. The First were five beings who had first learned how to tame the primal energies of creation itself. They were the most powerful beings to ever walk the lands, even more powerful that the evil ones, beings so ancient that they had no form, rolling across the lands as a black mist, causing havoc and chaos wherever they went. They were the first evil and the five mages had defeated and destroyed nearly all of them. The first mages had conquered the first evil. Ever since then the mages were known as the First.

Iomeloth was the oldest and took the form of an old man, always wearing long rustling robes. He liked to think of himself as a purveyor of ancient knowledge and thought his white bearded countenance fitted that role nicely. Tarquin was the next oldest and took his cue from his mentor, also giving himself the appearance of an old man. The next oldest was a female, the only female of the five, a beautiful dark haired woman named Jayetha. She loved being the only female and had dallied with them all. Her form was that of a beautiful seductress and she loved enticing the other mages to her bed. Although truth be told, she could have looked like an old hag and they would have still happily bedded her. After all, she was the only female of the group. Yara looked like a seasoned man with a beard and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose. He had noticed them on a distant planet and loved the look and had worn them ever since, even though he had no need for them at all. The rest of the First teased him unmercifully for that one vanity and he would have discarded them, except that Jayetha once told him that she liked them. Now, centuries later, he still wore them.

The youngest of the First took the form of a young, beautiful man. Ryoko could not understand why Iomeloth and Tarquin wanted to look like old men when they could have looked as young as he did. Of course, he was the current paramour of Jayetha so that probably had something to do with his appearance. He was a strange combination of vanity and coldness. He loved himself but nothing else. Neither Jayetha or Ryoko loved each other, he was merely her latest lover and she was the grand prize to show off to the other mages. She fawned over him in front of the others and he preened like a peacock.

None of the other mages particularly liked him, but they had no choice in the matter. He was one of them. Four of them lived separated from each other like spokes of a wheel, almost an equal distance from the other; all except one. Jayetha was the hub, the center, and her tower was pure white, a gleaming symbol of purity in a dark world. It had been many years, hundreds! Since the First had been all together and when Iomeloth's request for a meeting came, they all jumped at the chance to catch up. Of course, Ryoko jumped more at the chance to flaunt his love affair with Jayetha more than anything. He wasn't really interested in what his fellow mages did.

Tarquin and Yara were the first to arrive, perched on the backs of their Dragons. Each of the mages had long ago tamed the Great Dragons and now the huge beasts were their allies and friends.

"Greetings, brother!" Tarquin said and Yara nodded with a smile.

"It has been a long time since we've seen one another."

"Too long!" Iomeloth agreed.

"We are curious about this meeting…the reason for your call." Yara added.

"As soon as Jayetha and Ryoko arrive, I will explain it all."

Just then two more Dragons, one pure white and the other a deep green, landed with a loud thud and the mages turned to the parapet. Jayetha dismounted with the help of Ryoko.

Iomeloth wasted no time telling his fellow mages of his problem and asking for their help.

"You want us to help humans?" Ryoko asked. "They are nothing…"

"I used to think the same, but then I got to know one of them and he even learned simple spells. They are intelligent, and they have good hearts. I have been studying them for centuries now. Even with the terror that is their life, they find time to love their children and sometimes to love each other."

"I too have watched them," Jayetha began. "I agree with Iomeloth. I have extended my barrier around a small village to protect them and they have flourished under my care. They are loving and kind.. and very intelligent. I will help you in any way that I can." Tarquin and Yara agreed to help also and Ryoko shrugged. "I will do whatever you want."

"So exactly how are we going to save them?" Yara asked.

"We are going to give them a world of their own."

"What!?" Tarquin exclaimed.

"I propose that we split off a part of this world and separate it with a magical barrier. Demons will not be able to see the new world, and vice versa. Over time, what they have seen on this world will become only myth, and demons and dragons will be only fantasy." Iomeloth sighed stroking his beard and waiting for the other's opinions.

"That might very well work." Yara mused. "What part shall we give them? And how do we put them in the new world?"

"I was thinking about the southern part of the world, near your tower. It is the most desolate. After we split it, we remove any demons who are still there and open several temporary portals for the humans to use to go to their new home. We can watch over them for a while. Only a few centuries or so until they have established themselves."

All were in agreement and a few days later, the five mages stood on Yara's tower. They began to call on the world's primal energies. The sky turned ink black and lightning streaked across the sky. The mages poured more power into their spell and the ground itself began to crack. The crack widened and lengthened until it formed a rough square around the southern quarter of the world. Then suddenly with a resounding roar, the land separated itself from the rest. The world stood apart, land and sky were separated by a black void of nothingness. The five mages began to chant as they sealed the world, erecting a magical barrier all around it. Finally, their work done, they crumbled to the tower floor in exhaustion.

"It worked!" Iomeloth said, his voice weary, but his eyes bright. "We need to tell the people that are on that world what happened. And also create a portal for the demons."

"Give me a little time to rest!" Jayetha exclaimed, leaning heavily on Ryoko.

Demon servants brought drink and food to the mages and soon they recovered enough of their strength to make their way downstairs. "I need to sleep. My servants will take you to rooms." Yara said on the way down. Soon each of them was sound asleep in comfortable beds.

And the First slept for forty days and forty nights.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe we slept that long!" Jayetha said when the mages had gathered together once again. "I've never felt the need to sleep for more than a couple of hours each month or so!"

"The spell took more energy than I expected." Iomeloth agreed. "But we must check our new world."

"I'm going to my own tower instead." Ryoko told them and immediately created a small portal. Without another word, the young mage walked into it and disappeared. His Dragon, sensing his departure, unfurled huge wings and took to the air, following her master home.

"He was always headstrong." Tarquin commented with a shrug. "Well, let's go see this new world."

They portaled to the very center and stood looking around in silent horror. Everything was gone. The mountains and lakes, the trees and all the vegetation were gone. As far as they could see, there was only emptiness.

"What happened?" Iomeloth cried. "Where is everyone?"

"We should have erected a protective barrier around the lands first. We made a fatal mistake." Yara admitted sadly. "help us…." Voices came on the air, only the faintest of whispers. Suddenly, all around them, coming from every direction, wraiths began to appear. Humans and demons alike, killed with the splitting of the world and now trapped in its desolation.

"Their spirits are trapped here." Jayetha whispered. "Poor souls! The barrier stops them from passing through. They will be trapped here for eternity!" A single tear slid down her cheek. "Don't we have the power to release them? After all, we did this to them." Yara asked, peering intently at the spirits through his unneeded spectacles.

"We cannot release them in mass! There are both demons and humans in that mix. We do not know who they are. They must be questioned and then it must be decided whether they should be released or not. Some of the demons are very, very cruel and they would only reincarnate and kill again." Iomeloth cautioned.

"So you want to keep them prisoner here forever?" Jayetha exclaimed.

"No! I won't allow it!" "Instead of a prison, this could be sort of like a way station. A place for newly deceased souls to rest until they are ready to continue on their journey. And in the case of the most evil, this could be a prison until they have learned the error of their ways." Yara said.

"We need someone to take control. We can't just let them decide for themselves. The stronger demons would prevail and we would have the same problems that we had before." Iomeloth replied.

"We need someone powerful, yet fair." Yara said softly. "I volunteer. I will become their caretaker and their jailor."

"Are you sure you want to do this? You can never turn back once you accept this task." Jayetha reminded him.

"I know. I have always felt that my life has been without purpose, this would finally give it a reason. Yes, I am decided. I want to do this." He turned to the lost souls and spoke to them. "I will protect you and I will help you continue your path to a new life." As one the souls knelt before him, "Thank you, King Yara, and praise you!" They said, their many voices like a rushing wind. Yara nodded to them and then turned to his fellow mages. "You should leave now. I will seal this world so that no one can portal into it."

"I will miss you." Jayetha said, and the others nodded. Then they opened a portal and left Yara alone. The spirits stood there in silence, watching their new ruler, waiting. Yara smiled at them and then motioned them to move farther back. As one they opened a large circle around him. He closed his eyes and began to chant softly. An ancient chant, one all of the mages had learned but could only use once the releasing of their full power. Miracles could be accomplished, but the price was their undoing. Slowly, Yara began to fade as he chanted, his body becoming more and more transparent. His power was freed as his physical body faded and this lost world began to change. The barrier was strengthened so that no portal could ever pierce its walls, ghostly buildings were erected, and a hazy landscape began to take form. A world was formed from nothingness, a world for the dead, a Spirit World. When he was done, his physical body ceased to exist. Now he was spirit like those around him. He opened his eyes and they bowed down before him. "It is a good trade. My life for theirs." he thought smiling. "A good trade..."

Ryoko stepped out of his portal and shook his head in disgust. "What fools! Why were they helping humans?" He had only helped because Jayetha had agreed and he didn't want to look bad in front of her. He went downstairs to take a hot bath and put on fresh clothes. When he was finished, his Dragon had arrived. He walked to the top of his tower to greet her. Daimonamara, Dai, a female Great Dragon. Ryuko loved the fact that when she went into heat, she drove the male Dragons to despair. The last time, four Dragons had died during the battles to claim her as prize. At the end of it, a large Black Dragon named Rhuyogeromaru had prevailed and earned the right to copulate with her. Rhu had gone on to become Yara's Dragon, so she still saw him on occasion, but neither spoke of the past. Two years after the mating, she gave birth to a tiny dark green dragon whom she named Dairhemaru. He had long ago taken to the sky and carved out a territory of his own to the West. Dai had not seen her son in centuries now, but that was the way of Dragons. They were solitary creatures.

"What do you think of Iomeloth's plan, Dai? To save the humans…" Ryoko asked.

"I think humans are very tasty."

Ryoko threw back his head and laughed long and hard. "That's the right answer! Why waste all of your power and energy on a species that is only good as food? The strongest should always be the masters of the weak!" Dai stretched a wing out and lazily lashed her tail.

"All this talk is making me hungry."

"Well, then, let's go get you something to eat. There is a human village over that mountain." He pointed to the north. Dai ran a forked tongue on her snout.

"Wonderful! I hope there are some children. The young ones are always so tender…."

Ryoko laughed as he moved closer. Dai bent her leg so that he could mount.

"Come, let's go see what we can find to satisfy your hunger!" The Green Dragon unfurled iridescent wings and took to the sky. Dai was a thing of beauty, gleaming in the sun, just as her master was a beautiful man. But their hearts were black as coal. They were well suited for each other.

Michikyoimara called out a warning and Tarquin went to his tower's parapet where his Red Dragon stood staring to the west. "A black dragon approaches." Tarquin shaded his eyes, but saw nothing at all. "Is it friend or foe?"

"It's still too far away to tell." Michi answered and the pair remained silent for a few minutes.

Michi staring at a tiny black spec and Tarquin attempting in vain to see what she was watching. Suddenly she snorted and turned to her master. "It's Rhu."

"Rhu! Of course! He has lost his master since Yara stayed in the new world. Bid him welcome."

Michi nodded, raised her head high, and let loose a shrill trumpeted call which carried for miles. A faint one sounded in return. Shortly after Rhu landed next to her and bowed his head to Tarquin.

"I request asylum. You were my master's best friend and now he has gone where I cannot follow. His tower is empty and the shadows of memory are long."

"You can stay here as long as you like, Rhu. I am honored that you chose my tower." Tarquin said with a small bow. The mages liked to say that they had tamed the Great Dragons but in truth each Dragon chose their own master. Michi had chosen him millennia ago and now he was truly honored to have two Great Dragons.

Jayetha walked through the forest that surrounded her tower. She was very sad about their failure. Instead of freeing the humans, they had killed so many of them. She sighed heavily.

"It wasn't your fault." Came a soft voice. She turned to Zenitarmaru, Zen, and stroked his long muzzle with a gentle hand. "Yes, it was. We did not protect them from the forces of nature that we were unleashing. We should have known." Zen blinked huge dark blue eyes and said nothing, but you could tell he was lost in thought. Jayetha walked alongside the pure white Dragon in silence, each buried deep in their forlorn thoughts.

Suddenly Zen spoke, his voice firm. "You must try again. Now that you know what to do, you must try again."

"It is not possible."

"Why not?" Zen asked without malice.

"Because we have lost one of our number. We are no longer five."

"And the four of you do not have the power to accomplish what the five did? I think all of you have more power than you realize."

Jayetha stopped and turned to stare at the Dragon. "It's worth trying at least! You're right! This is not a time for defeat, instead we must strengthen our resolve. Take me to the Black Tower of Iomeloth. We need to talk!" Zen curled his lips into a fanged smile and bent down so that his mistress could mount him.

It took very little persuasion to convince Iomeloth to try again. He contacted Tarquin and easily convinced his old friend to help once more. Then together they contacted Ryoko. The three mages gave argument and entreaty for many hours before they finally convinced the young mage to help them once again. Three days hence they would meet at Ryoko's tower and do the spell once more, only this time putting up a protective barrier first. Ryoko left the mages to set up his tower for the second Sundering. He spent most of the three days drawing intricate runes and symbols across the entire parapet floor. Dai watched him silently for a long time and then finally spoke. "I don't understand why you are helping them?" Ryoko stood up and smiled wickedly at Dai. "Who says that I am doing this for them?"


	3. Chapter 3

While Ryoko was busy creating the runes that would focus the spell, the other three mages were bringing all the humans they could to the chosen area. It had been decided that all of the land south of Ryoko's tower to the edge of the world of spirit would be the focus of their spell. The mages portaled to the largest human settlements and then portaled all the inhabitants to their new home. At the same time, in the chosen land, four Great Dragons were busy forcing demons out. The demons were not happy but they did not have the power to go against a Great Dragon, or even worse, one of the First. For three days, a steady stream of humans went into the land while another stream of demons exited out of it. The majority of the humans had no idea why they were being moved, and most of them did not ask. They were the lower end of the food chain and used to obeying. Iomeloth tried to explain that they were being given a land of their own free from their demon masters, but most of them merely looked at him blankly. But there were a few that showed a spark of interest, the behind the eyes intelligence that Barathe had shown. These few would become leaders in the new land and would give the people structure and law.

At the end of the third day, the four mages gathered at Ryoko's tower. Iomeloth took a deep breath, gathered his power, and then began the incantation. The others joined him, but this incantation was different. It was a Spell of Protection. Every living thing, be it human, demon, animal or plant would be protected as well as the mountains, lakes and other topographical landmarks. There would be no mistakes this time. Then the chant changed and the sky darkened as the Spell of Sundering began. Lightning forked through the sky and ripped the very night apart. The earth cracked and split and separated. After long hours of chanting, the human world was disconnected from the rest, and each mage crumbled to the floor senseless. Small servants gathered Ryoko's body and carried it to his bed-chamber. Three dragons took their masters in gentle jaws, spread huge wings, and carried them safely home. This time, the mages slept for a year and a day. Ryoko stood on his parapet looking at the new world. It seemed like it was right in front of his tower. If he reached out far enough, he would be able to touch it. But it was not really there, it was on a plane, a dimension of its own now.

"Now they are out of reach."

Ryoko turned to Dai. "You underestimate me. Just like they did."

"They?"

"The other mages. They are such arrogant fools. They think that no one would dare go against them! The mighty First! Well, I am one of the First also!" Ryoko proclaimed, a strange glint in his eye. Dai knew the glint very well. And she knew the truth of it. Ryoko was a sociopath, caring for nothing but himself. He kept it hidden very well. The other mages had never seen it, but in front of Dai, he took off the mask of normalcy and allowed his true self to show. His was a sick and diseased soul hiding in a beautiful body. Dai had sensed what he truly was and because of that, she has chosen him as master. They were very much alike.

"What did you mean when you said they underestimated you?" Dai asked.

"I added a few runes of my own, well-hidden on the other side of the parapet.. but just enough to allow me to open portals whenever I want. You can feed there and so can any demon just as long as they bow before me." Ryoko displayed a cold smile. "I will rule it all, Dai. Everything."

"What do you want it for?" Dai looked at the desolate lands around the tower. Unlike the other mages, Ryoko had not beautified anything. His tower reflected his soul.

"Ah, Dai! We have a front row seat." Ryoko gestured at the lands below. "We will watch a never-ending tabloid of death. It will be beautiful!" Dai said nothing. Her master was growing worse with each passing day. Soon he would not be able to hide his insanity and the other mages would destroy him, and it was very likely that she would be destroyed with him. She said nothing, just nodded in agreement, but her mind was racing. What were her chances if she stayed with him? Even more important, what were her chances if she betrayed him? Three days later she made up her mind. Telling Ryoko that she was going to search for food, she flew directly to Iomeloth's tower. There she told the white mage exactly what Ryoko had done and what he was planning, she then asked for asylum. Iomeloth was appalled and shocked. He called Tarquin and Jayetha to his tower and relayed Dai's tale to them. Jayetha admitted, looking back at things that had happened or that Ryoko had said, that Dai was probably telling the truth. She had either ignored her lover or thought that he was kidding. His off-hand comments about ruling the world, about bathing in blood, she suddenly shivered. He had been serious all along!

"We must stop him!" Jayetha cried. "Oh, by the gods above, we have to stop him!"

"Even if we undo him, he will just recreate himself." Tarquin lamented.

"And then he will open a hundred portals to our new world. He will destroy it all!" "Why didn't I see this?" Iomeloth groaned.

"He was not always like this. Or at least he was able to keep it hidden better." Jayetha told him.

Iomeloth stared silently at the floor, his mind moving through a plethora of ideas, discarding them one after another. Suddenly his head snapped up,

"I might have it! We can undo his body, turn him into his true spirit form."

"And he will recreate his body in moments."

"Not if we send him to Spirit World. Ryoko will be under Yara's power. He will not be able to remake himself, not unless Yara allows it."

"That just might work!" Tarquin exclaimed.

"Now, we need to contact Yara and then we need to capture Ryoko." Iomeloth said.

"It will not be easy." "We will need to draw him away from his seat of power, his tower. I will request a meeting of the First along with their Dragons. Dai can bring him to my tower where our trap will be waiting for him." Dai nodded her agreement and then took the air, returning to her master's tower.

"Can we trust her?" Tarquin asked. "That Dragon is very much like her master."

"I know." Iomeloth admitted. "But she is afraid for her own life. Dai cares more for herself than she does for Ryoko."

"And so we now destroy one of our own." Jayetha said sadly. "I wonder if he will ever forgive us."

Iomeloth looked at her and shook his head. "I doubt it. His hatred will be eternal."

"As will his punishment." And a tear found its way down her cheek. Two days later everything was ready. Yara was ready with a containment area, all Iomeloth had to do was create a portal to it. Ryoko never saw it coming. He dismounted from his Dragon and Dai moved away, as if she were going to talk to other Dragons. He saw Jayetha and walked towards her smiling, and then stopped dead in his tracks, unable to move. He looked down and saw the circle of runes and sigils beneath his feet. He had walked right into their trap. Iomeloth and Tarquin moved out from the shadows and began to chant, and Jayetha's soft voice joined theirs.

"What are you doing?" Ryoko asked, trying desperately to move out of the circle. There was no answer for the three mages did not dare stop their chant.

"Stop this!" the young mage screamed. Then he felt a pulling sensation – they were tearing his soul out of his body!

"NOOOO!" He crumbled to his knees, desperately trying to keep himself together. His fingers clawed at the runes but they were no longer substantial enough to cause damage to the painted runes. Suddenly he looked up directly at Iomeloth.

"You will pay for this! You and your precious humans!" And then Ryoko did the last thing they ever expected. He unmade himself. His power went screaming forth like a wave all around them. Iomeloth hesitated and then stopped the chant. Ryoku-Ashi's soul was still trapped in the circle, but his power had been freed.

"What did he do?" Tarquin asked.

"I fear we will find out all too soon." Iomeloth said sadly. Then he opened a portal right on top of the circle and Ryoko was whisked to Spirit World and the containment area that Yara had prepared for him. "Look!" Jayetha cried, pointing to the Dragons. Zen, Rhu, Michi and Byre were standing there staring in amazement at Dai. "What has he done?!" Iomeloth moaned. Dai turned around and smiled. A beautiful smile, a cold smile. A human smile. For she was no longer a Dragon, but a human.


	4. Chapter 4

Dai looked down at her body and slowly ran her hands over it.

"I don't understand why he made her human…" Jayetha began.

"To blend in." Dai said calmly, smiling. And to the mages, her smile seemed almost reptilian.

"There are more of us," she said cryptically. "Many more…" Then in the blink of an eye, she changed back into a dragon, unfurled huge wings and took to the sky.

"Oh, no." Iomeloth moaned out loud.

"I don't understand…." Tarquin gave them all a confused look.

"He gave her the power of transformation. The humans will never know who is friend or foe, whom they can trust. She looks just like one of them. She said there were more. We need to find out how many more. Byreth, could you sense that she was a Dragon even in her human form?"

"Yes, I saw her as both Dragon and human."

"Then please to fly over the lands and bring us back news. What has changed, what has been transformed." Iomeloth said to the four Dragons. As one they took to the sky and then flew off in opposite directions. Then he turned to Jayetha.

"Would you portal to Ryoko's tower and check on the barrier? I fear that he might have harmed it." Jayetha nodded and opened a portal. Moments later she stepped onto the parapet of Ryoko's forbidding tower. She walked to the edge and peered down at the base of the barrier. Hordes of demons were pounding and clawing at it. Then she saw what they were attacking, the barrier was thinner in that spot. The barrier had been weakened. She moved to another area of the tower and saw the same thing happening in another spot of the barrier. How much damage had Ryoko caused? And how much longer could the barrier hold out? Jayetha sighed heavily and portaled back to Iomeloth with the distressing news. Ryoko had won even in defeat. A few hours later the Dragons came back with even more bad news. Numerous demon clans had been effected by the power wave. The Demon Cats, the Bobcats, the Hawks, and many other clans now had the power to transform into a human form.

"All of our work is for naught." Iomeloth said miserably.

"Yara gave up his life for nothing! And soon the barrier that protects the new human world will be destroyed. And demons who look like humans will enter their world." "There must be something that we can do!" Jayetha cried. "I refuse to admit defeat!"

"There is something." Tarquin said quietly. "I can release my power like Yara did."

"What? No! I won't let you! I don't want to lose you too!" Jayetha exclaimed.

"It is not your choice, but mine." Tarquin reminded her.

"What do you propose?" Iomeloth asked his old friend.

"I will use part of my power to strengthen the barrier and the other part to give other demons the same power of transformation."

"Other demons?" Jayetha queried.

"Like our four Dragons here. They can be the protectors of the humans that are still in this world. And there are other demons which are not cruel to humans, the Foxes and some of the Wolves. They can help protect and also they can teach the humans to defend themselves."

"But then there will only be two of us." Jayetha countered. "I don't know if I could stand it…."

"We could join him." Iomeloth said softly. "What?" Jayetha turned to the old mage.

"I believe our time is done here. It is now the time for the humans to make this world their own. Together we can change this world for the better. Split the demons from the humans. They are mostly located around Ryoko's tower, evil draws evil..we can isolate them in that land."

"The three of us do not have the power to split a world off." Jayetha reminded him.

"It can be a different type of isolation. We can create mountain ranges on either side of this tower and a ring of mountains around your tower. We can create three worlds out of what is left of this one. The mountains will be our barriers."

"Mountains will not be enough."

"Then we will create more Protectors. And give a few humans some of our power, make them lesser mages. Show them how to strengthen the barriers." Iomeloth told her.

"Maybe the lesser gods would help us also." Tarquin said excitedly.

"The Phoenix has shown interest in the plight of the humans. Maybe they would be willing to lend a hand whenever the need arose. I know there are others who would help. Byakko, the Blue Tiger god, also comes to mind."

"Ah, I see a problem with the idea of human mages. Barathe died before he could learn more than a few simple spells. It takes so much time to learn the spells, and the humans have such a short life…." Iomeloth commented.

"Then that will be my gift. I will give the humans a long life span.. for them, time will slow down so that their years are the same as demonkind." Jayetha said.

Iomeloth turned to her and then to Tarquin . "So it is decided."

"Yes, our lives for theirs. We will fade and pass to the other side." Jayetha said, and then brightened. "Come, we have much to do and very little time to do it in. The demons will breach the barrier in a few days' time." Iomeloth stood on his tower looking out over the lands. Now the terrible peaks that surrounded his tower were spread in a line to the north and south, splitting this land ..this world from the land of the demons. Behind him stood five young men and a blue Dragon. These men would be given mage powers and then Byreth would take them to five villages where they would teach and protect. Byreth moved up to the old mage and put his head down, pressing it against Iomeloth's shoulder.

"It's time, Byreth. Take care of them."

"I promise." Byreth rumbled. "It was an honor serving you." Iomeloth turned to the huge Dragon.

"The honor was mine when you chose me. May you live long in the light." Byreth nodded and returned to the five men. He unfolded his wings and curved them around the humans to protect them from Iomeloth's final spell. The old mage took one last look around and then closed his eyes and began to softly chant. His body began to fade as he released his power and his soul from the confines of a physical body. Power surged around the five humans and then pushed inside of them. Mage power! Magic! It was now theirs. Then Iomeloth opened his hands and beautiful beasts came forth from them, pure white, looking like horses, but with a single horn on their foreheads.

"Protect them, love them, and live with them." He whispered to the Unicorns and as one they nodded and then spread in all directions, leaving the tower to live among their human charges. Then he was gone. Byreth bowed down in reverence and the five new mages followed suit. As Tarquin faded, he strengthened the barrier that stood around the human world and then he hid it from sight. Some would be able to sense it, but none would be able to see into that world ever again. Then with the last of his power, he gave the rest of the Great Dragons the power of transformation, along with the Foxes and a few of the Wolves and some isolated demons who had shown a good heart. Michi and Rhu watched him fade and then took the sky. In the future, whenever the humans saw them flying overhead, they would take hope.

Jayetha felt her fellow mages leave this world. Now she was alone. "I will wait for you." Came a quiet voice at her side. She turned to Zen.

"I will not be returning."

"Then I will join you on the other side."

"You have a long life ahead of you, Zen."

"I once promised to be yours forever and I will keep that promise. If I cannot wait for you, will you wait for me?"

Jayetha bowed her head in sorrow and then nodded. "I will be waiting. And now it is time for me to leave." As she released her power, she gave every human a long life and time slowed down to a crawl around her tower here in the center of the four worlds: Spirit World, Human World, Demon World and the Four Gods World. This was the last world, the other world. Zen kept his eyes fixed on Jayetha until she had completely faded, then he walked to the exact spot where she had last stood and laid down – he would not move from that spot until death finally released him. And as she had promised, Jayetha was waiting for him when he reached the other side.


	5. Chapter 5

164 Years Before Present Time

Many Ages After the Sundering Hovering high above the five worlds, Iomeloth looked down on what he and his fellow mages had wrought. Spirit World was about the same; Yara had created a son to help him with the steady stream of spirits entering and leaving his world. There were also now numerous helpers and guides helping the spirits on their journeys. The Human World had prospered in its way. Without the threat of constant death, the humans had conquered their world and now numbered in the millions. Demons and dragons had become nothing more than myth and fairytale. Science and knowledge were now their gods. Demon World was split into four lands, each ruled by different rulers and inhabited by different clans. The Southern Lands was ruled by a Demon named Pogua, the Western Lands were ruled by Inutaishou of the Dog Demon clan, a Battle Demon named Raizen ruled the Northern Lands while the Eastern Lands were ruled by a female demon named Mukuro, although few realized that she was a woman.

The barrier between Demon World and the Human World was constantly being breached by portals created by demon mages, heirs of Iomeloth's own power. The Four Gods world had fared the worst: forever fighting with each other, its people living in poverty and despair from the constant wars, and the rulers had cut themselves off from the other two worlds. Then there was the middle world, Otherworld. Jayetha's land. Demons made steady treks into this small world to steal humans and livestock. Life was hard in Otherworld and even with the gift of long life that Jayetha had bestowed upon them, their lives were usually short and violent. But in spite of this, the land and its people were flourishing and their numbers were growing. The protectors had failed. The Unicorns grew too close to those whom they protected, and many had diluted their blood with human blood; greatly diminishing their power. Other Unicorns had mated with their fellow Wolf protectors, in their human forms they were the same and the Dog Demon clan had sprung from these unions. When it was discovered that Unicorn horns could kill a Great Dragon, the Unicorns were hunted to possible extinction by demons and humans alike. It was not known if any of them still lived, and the Great Dragons were sleeping under the mountains. Their plan had failed. The four mages had given up their lives for nothing.

Iomeloth soon found himself in his old tower, but it too had changed. Its black walls were now crumbling and vines grew in the cracks between the stones. Nature had found its way inside. And without his magic to keep beautiful valley green, the forbidding mountains between Suzaku and Demon World now made the road to the tower nearly impossible to find.

"Nothing stays the same." Iomeloth mused as he recreated his physical body for his short visit. He felt a presence close by and Jayetha suddenly appeared at his side. She looked around the old ruins. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting the five worlds." Iomeloth replied sadly. "All we sacrificed was for naught. Even my tower is in ruin." "No one has been here for ages." "Bryeth's grandson sleeps beneath us."

"All the Great Dragons are asleep." Jayetha said softly. "Things did not go as we planned."

"At least we protected most of the humans, the Human World thrives." He looked out over Suzaku. He could sense the pain and suffering of its people. "If only we could protect them all."

"The Demons are too strong. They have breached our barriers in many places."

"I know. I have seen it. The children of the mages we created have become the enemy; the Unicorns are lost, and the Dragons sleep. There is no hope left."

"There is always hope. People fall in love and children are born. They make a future and the future always has hope." "If only the demons weren't so strong."

Iomeloth suddenly turned to look at his friend, a strange expression on his face. "That's it!"

Jayetha frowned. "I don't understand…."

"We have been trying to fight demon kind and have always failed because they are too powerful."

"But we made the Protector Unicorns strong, just as strong if not stronger than the demons."

"There were too few of them, one for every ten thousand demons! And we created them with the desire to protect humankind, not realizing that those feelings would turn into love for so many of them. They diluted their bloodline and their magic changed." Iomeloth reminded her.

"I still don't see…."

"We will use the demons themselves."

"What?"

"We will enslave demons to fight other demons."

"So we give power to a few mages." Jayetha began.

"No, we already tried that. And now the demon mages are the worst of them all. Power can be deadly in the wrong hands. We need someone pure, someone who will not falter, who will never turn to the dark, and who will always hold true."

"Such a being does not exist."

"Yes, it does. Come forth..." Iomeloth turned to the dark edge of the tower and spoke to the shadows. "I sensed your presence. Why are you here?" he asked.

"We have seen and heard you and the lady, and we wish to offer ourselves," came a gentle whisper, with several voices blending as one. Jayetha turned toward the voices. As she watched, five brilliant orbs of energy appeared. As they grew stronger, golden light shone from each of them, dispelling the dark shadows of the Black Tower. One orb was smaller and its color was more reddish gold than the others and it remained in the background.

"We have felt the suffering of the people. They beseech us for help. We beg you to let us help them." Came the blended voice of the light beings.

"I need someone in physical form so that I can give them the power to enthrall."

"We are willing to take human form to help those that suffer. Their cries reach into our very souls."

"But you have transcended into the light. How can you want to return to the dark?" Jayetha exclaimed.

"Erase our memories so that we cannot remember the light."

"You offer too much!" Iomeloth exclaimed. "I cannot take away all that you are!"

"One day we will transcend again. And deep inside of us, in the depths of our souls, we will remember the light. You can never take away the light completely. We must do this, Iomeloth. They plead for our help. We cannot turn our backs on them." The light from the beings grew stronger with their agitation.

Iomeloth looked at the glowing orbs and nodded. "So be it. I will place you in the timeline 25 years apart so that the oldest can teach the youngest. Who shall be first?"

The largest being moved a little closer. "I will."

Iomeloth formed a human female from the clay floor and the being merged into it. "I will set you down next to the barrier between the Human World and Demon World. Enthrall mages to yourself and begin to repair the barrier between those two worlds."

"I shall do as you ask." The woman lifted a hand and studied it. "It has been a long time since I had sensations such as these. Now take away my memories."

The mage made runic passes in front of the woman. When he stopped, he took her hand. "Come, child, I have work for you to do."

"Are you my father?"

"No. You're not born of man nor woman. You are a gift to the people of the five worlds. Your name is Arina." And Iomeloth took Arina, the first Princess, to a small village near the Human World barrier.

"Two powerful demons live in this village: Kaleffe, a Fire Demon, and Kalaymar, a Demon Mage." He pointed to a large house on a hill. "Go and bind them to you. They will be the first of many. Protect the barrier with their power." Arina nodded and walked alone to the house. Iomeloth surrounded her with a protective barrier until the first two Demons were bound; after that, they would protect her. Three more times the mage repeated the process, placing a young woman at each of the four barriers between the worlds, twenty-five years apart: Athara, Arista and Aratha. Finally there was only one being left; the smaller red-gold orb that had clung to the edge of the shadows. The orb moved closer.

"You will be the center of them all, for of all the five worlds, the one in the center is the most vulnerable. All worlds border it. You must not falter, for if the middle world fails, all will fail."

"I understand." Again Iomeloth fashioned a body from the clay, but this one he fashioned as a baby instead of a grown woman.

"Why a child?" Jayetha asked.

"Because she must be loved by all of her people more than all of the others. She must be all things to her people: helpless child, innocent maid, sensual woman, and loving mother." The shining being slipped into the baby's form and moments after, the child opened her eyes, staring at the mages with golden eyes. Iomeloth bent down and picked her up. "Come, Aara, let's take you to your oldest sister. She will teach you what to do."

A short while later, Iomeloth returned to the Black Tower. Jayetha was placing two flat pieces covered with dark purple cloth against the wall. "Your mirrors?" Iomeloth asked. "Yes, I brought them here from the ruins of my castle. While you were gone, I had a premonition. Someday they will be found and used for good. I will place a spell on them so only she who I have foreseen will find them. A woman who will do great good." "Then I will give her a second gift. When she first looks into the mirrors, she will see the Dragon who sleeps beneath this tower. He will awake and become her protector as Byreth was once mine," Iomeloth said. He moved to the window.

"Will five women be able to accomplish what the Unicorns could not? We gave them hundreds of Unicorns and it was not enough."

"I have a feeling…." Jayetha whispered, going to his side. "…that they will be just enough. The future will not be perfect but in Otherworld and Suzaku I saw peace and co-existence between the demons and the humans. It looks like your little shy one is the key."

"I pray that you are right. Jayetha, I want to keep a closer watch this time. If this works, maybe we can implement it again on similar planets!" Jayetha agreed. "Ah, but those poor girls! Forever trapped in human form!" "Their sacrifice gives the worlds hope once again. Perhaps even more than the Sundering itself did." Iomeloth said

"But they will be the only ones of their kind, with their only companions the Demons they force into their service. Are they to have no chance for real love or a family? Isn't there some way we can give them more?" Jayetha asked.

"Maybe... That is not a bad idea. Even though we only have a limited source to draw from, if we can make the women happy enough on this plane to desire mates and families, this just might work. Yara can help us watch. If any of them express the true desire for a mate and family, we can work on satisfy it." He smiled. "You have given me hope, Jayetha!"

"And with hope, even miracles can be accomplished." Jayetha smiled back. She reached for his hand. "It's time to go."

"Goodbye, Princesses, take care of our worlds, especially you, Aara, the most special of all of them." Iomeloth whispered as he shed his body once again and faded into the light.


End file.
